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Mariah Carey 'Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel’ album playback news

Mariah invites ‘B&S’ to an exclusive media playback of six tracks from her eagerly-anticipated, soon-come twelfth album ‘Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel’ Perfect album? Pete Lewis gives you his esteemed opinion...

GUESTS NOTE:
All phones, cameras and blackberrys MUST be checked in at the door”… Yep, security was decidedly tight at Central London’s super-posh Langham Hotel. As, within the opulent surroundings of its plush Artesian Bar, ‘Blues & Souls' Pete Lewis mingled with prominent urban-media bods like MOBO founder Kanya King MBE, MTV Base senior producer Jasmine Dotiwala, and KISS FM’s DJ Swerve for an exclusive listen to new music from the world’s “top-selling female artist in history”, Ms Mariah Carey.

With Matt Ross of Def Jam US in attendance (but sadly not Mariah herself!), tracks played - in addition to the current Eminen-taunting, bass-booming single Obsessed’ - included the dreamily intimate ‘H.A.T.E. U’; the loved-up, sensual ‘Impossible’; and edgily-pushing R&B groover ‘Standing O’.

Nevertheless, it was the wistful, summery drifter ‘Candy Bling’ that unquestionably proved the favourite with the afternoon’s carefully-selected media guests; while the most eyebrow-raising moment arrived with Mariah’s bluesily-soulful new take on Foreigner’s Eighties rock/gospel anthem ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’.

Indeed - with Mariah herself, alongside currently-hot Atlanta pop/R&B writer/producers The-Dream & ‘Tricky’ Stewart, responsible for most of the songs on display - the event itself (which also visited Tokyo, Hong Kong and Berlin the same week) all-in-all undoubtedly provided an interesting, if somewhat musically-downtempo, appetiser for the (hopeful) September 14 release of the highly-touted ‘Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel’ in its entirety.Words PETE LEWIS